THE EUROPEANS

"It's the darkest day of my life--and you know what that means." "Wait until tomorrow"--The Europeans

Last night I finally finished Paris 1919.  I've always thought the Treaty of Versailles got a worse rap than it deserved, and Margaret MacMillan seems to agree.  The book increased my sympathy for Woodrow Wilson, rigid and inept as he could be at important moments.  At least he had a vision for world peace that might have worked.

Today I went to the Northern District branch and borrowed Henry James' The Europeans.  I have just under three weeks to read it before the Classic Book Club meets, but fortunately it's fairly short.  The title character are a brother and sister born in Europe to an American mother and a father with American parents, who've now moved to Massachusetts.  It reminds me of A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries. (Both books were filmed by James Ivory.)

At choir practice the other night we did two new pieces: "Christmas Chopsticks" and the Basque Christmas carol "The Angel Gabriel From Heaven Came." Beatrice really liked my gingerbread.

Today I went to see Nancy V. at her apartment.  She organized the Crossword Meetup--unlike Nancy M. my acting teacher--but had to quit because the fees were too high. (I suggested she start a Facebook group.) Today she was hosting a Celebration of Mind Event, one of several worldwide events honouring the mathematician Martin Gardner.  She was giving away quite a few puzzle books and stuff once again, and I'd brought the latest Games magazine in hope of giving her something in exchange, but alas, she already had a copy.  In the end she gave me so much stuff that I needed a couple of tote bags!  She also gave me a Pierre Berton memoir and the book Why I Hate Canadians.  We already had a copy, but coincidentally Father sold it off today!